Whatever Happened to Birdy Troy? by Rachael English

Author:Rachael English [English, Rachael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, General, Cultural Heritage
ISBN: 9781399726801
Google: vbM90AEACAAJ
Publisher: Hachette Books Ireland
Published: 2024-02-14T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 26

May 1982, London

Loretta needed to escape. With the release of their single only two days away, she felt as if the walls were closing in. At the same time, she felt isolated. Did that make sense? Maybe not. But what did, these days?

She strapped on her sandals, clicked on her Walkman and left the apartment. With The Go-Go’s in her ears, she walked past the Green and the Market. Then, keen to escape the snarl of traffic, she turned away from Uxbridge Road and onto a street of redbrick houses. Her hair was in a high ponytail, and the sun burnt the back of her neck.

The trees were in full leaf now, the gardens coming into bloom. Loretta wished she could keep on walking, one foot in front of the other, until she was far, far away.

Kieran had returned to Ireland. The timing wasn’t ideal, he said, but Dairena had asked if he wanted to meet their son. Despite his claim to be prioritising The Diamonds, Loretta suspected that his schedule was being dictated by Dairena. She’d decided he could see Ryan and, as fast as you could say ‘son and heir’, Kieran was on the plane to Cork.

Loretta hadn’t said anything to him about Birdy. What could she say? Wasn’t that a cracking review in Sounds? Ian thinks ‘The Fire Inside’ needs more work. Oh, and by the way, Birdy claims you raped her. Is that true?

Because of Birdy’s accusation, Loretta was relieved that Kieran was out of their lives until later in the week. She wanted to think it all through, and his presence would be a distraction. It was hard to make a decision about someone when they were breathing down the back of your neck.

She was beginning to doubt her future with him. That didn’t mean she accepted Birdy’s claims. Tough as it was, she replayed her bandmate’s story. It didn’t ring true. Kieran wasn’t a sad old loser or an ill-at-ease teenager. He could sleep with Loretta. He could sleep with Dairena or Imogen. He could walk into any bar on any street and find a woman willing to go home with him. Why would he force himself on Birdy Troy? He didn’t even like her. How often had he complained about her being too intense or hard to read?

Over the past three days, Loretta and Birdy had settled into a stand-off. If they weren’t openly sniping at each other, they weren’t friendly either. They used Gail and Yvonne as buffers. While Gail plainly found this tedious, Yvonne was more skilled at hiding her feelings. Gail was also firm in her belief that Birdy was telling the truth. She didn’t have to say anything. When Kieran was in their company, she radiated hostility.

Loretta had been walking for fifteen minutes when she came across a pub and decided to go in. A drink. That was what she needed. A peaceful drink in an old man’s bar with no danger of meeting anyone she knew and no chance of having someone else’s taste in music foisted upon her.

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